Flexible stay-bolt.



P. F. GALLAGHER.

FLEXIBLE STAY BOLT.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 3. 1914.

1,13%6GQ, Patented Apr. 27, 1915.

' I w in? aZZqyer PETER F.

GALLAGHER, 0F BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, ASSIGNOR 0F FORTY-NINE ONE-HUNDREDTI-IS TO PHILIP CONNIFF, 0F BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

FLEXIBLE STAY-BOLT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 27, 1915.

Application filed July 3, 1914. Serial No. 848,907.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PETER F. GALLAGHER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, have invented new anduseful Improvements in Flexible Stay-Bolts, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to flexible stay bolts for connecting the outsideand fire box sheets of a boiler, the primary object in view being toprovide a construction which allows an ample range of flexibility of thebolt, while at the same time strengthening and reinforcing the sheetsabout the bolt openings and permitting expansion and contraction of thesheets without distorting the bolt connection.

A further object of the invention is to provide integral flanges orseats upon the sheets for the bolt about the bolt openings, said flangesor seats being struck up directly from the sheets, whereby greaterstrength and durability of the connections and greater flexibility ofthe bolt are obtained, and liability of leakage or breakage of the partsat the joints avoided or materially diminished.

A further object of the invention is to provide means whereby the end ofthe bolt connected with the fire box sheet will be better protected fromthe heat and greater expansion and contraction allowed at the joint toprevent cracking or distortion of the parts.

The invention consists of the features of construction, combination andarrangement of parts herein fully described and claimed, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawing in which Figure 1 is a sectional viewshowing the invention. Fig. 2 is a similar view illustrating amodification.

Referring to the drawing, 1 designates the inside or fire box sheet, 2the outside sheet, and 3 the stay bolt. As shown in Fig. 1, the sheet 1is formed with a bolt opening 4, and is punched outwardly to provide atubular seat flange 5 communicating at its inner end with said boltopening and projecting outwardly beyond the plane of the sheet. The saidtubular sheet flange is internally threaded at its outer end, as shownat 6, to receive the threaded end 7 of the bolt, and is internallyflared at its inner end, as shown at 8, at its point of juncture withthe openlng 4, which is flared inwardly on the fire box side, as shownat 9, and on an arc of curvature of a desired radius. The end of thebolt connecting with the sheet 1 is headed or riveted into the opening4, as shown at 10, the headed or riveted portion thereof being flared toconform to the flare of the opening and surface 9. By this constructionit will be observed that the threaded connection is at a point outwardlybeyond the plane of the sheet 1 and wholly within the outer portion ofthe seat flange 5, within the inner portion of which the headed end 10of the bolt is substantially inclosed, so as to lie within the plane ofthe portion of the sheet in which the bolt opening is formed. By thisconstruction the end of the bolt is to a certain degree shielded anddisposed out of the direct fire line, thus preventing the bolt frombecoming heated to a greater degree than the adjacent portion of thesheet and eliminating liability of cracking of the parts at the jointresulting from widely varying degrees of construction and expansion ofthe bolt and the portion of the sheet with which it is connected. Itwill also be observed that the seat flange 5 gives an extended supportfor the threaded end of the bolt and disposes such threaded portionwithin the water space, at a point where it is protected from undueexpansion and contraction, thus obviating or diminishing to a materialextent liability of leakage at the joint. It will be evident also, fromthe foregoing description, that the formation of the tubular seat flange5 strengthens the sheet 1 at a point where it is usually weakest, andwhere an insecure threaded connection between the bolt and sheet isordinarily made entirely within the thickness of the sheet, and that byreason of the fact that the flange gives an extended support for thebolt and is capable of a certain degree of flexion at the point where itmerges on curved lines into the sheet body, it is obvious that acoupling connection is provided which allows the bolt to have greaterflexibility and also permits of expansion and contraction of the partsto a greater degree, without liability of the bolt, workingloose,'cracking or splitting, or of leakage occurring at the joint. Tofurther strengthen and reinforce the sheet 1 at the point of connectionof the bolt therewith, the sheet is also oflset to, as shown at 11,produce a circular corrugation about the opening 4 and base of theflange 5, and thus reducing liability of warping of the sheet at orsurrounding its point of union with the bolt. The strength anddurability of the sheet 1 is accordingly increased to a great extentover structures in which the inner ends of the bolts are simply fittedin thread-.

ed openings in the sheet and headed.

The sheet 2 is formed with an opening 12 for therreception of theouterend of the bolt 3, which is provided with a head 13 having a partlyspherical convex surface 14. The opening 12 is flared inwardly on acurve of desired radius, as shown at 15, and punched outwardly from thebody of the sheet in line with said opening is a tubularseat flange 15,which is externally threaded at its outer end to receive a cap nut 16,-

between which and the outer end of the flange a metallic Washer 17 maybe interposed when desired. The outer portion of the bore of the tubularflangeis formed with a partly spherical concaved surface 18 to receiveand fit the surface 14 of the bolt head, which is pivotally seatedtherein while the inner portion of the bore of said seat flange isflared, as shown at 19, and merges into the flared surface of the boltopening. It will be evident that by this construction the headed outerend of the bolt is supported beyond the plane of the sheet 2, and ispermitted to have motion in the concavity 14: to compensate forvariations in the expansion and contraction of the sheets 1 and 2, theflaring form of the opening adapting the bolt to have a wide degree ofcompensating adjustments without interference and without strain uponthe sheets or joints. The tubular seat flange not only reinforces thebolt opening at the point where the sheet is usually weak, but, by beingpunched out from and integral with the sheet and connected on a curvedline with the sheet at its point of juncture therewith, by reason of abell mouthed formation 15, is adapted to bend or flex to a certaindegree with the bolt, thus obviating liability of fracture of the partswhen subjected to unusual or extraordinary strain. This constructionalso obviates the liability of leakage or cracking of parts at the jointoccurring in ordinary structures in which the headed outer end of thebolt is seated in a sleeve externally threaded at its inner end toengage a threaded opening in the sheet. As the seat flange tied for theuse of bolts of a certain type.

As shown, clearly in Fig. 2, the threaded end 7 of the bolt 3 engages athreaded opening 20 in a dished portion 21 of the sheet 1. This dishedportion is preferably of circular form and is punched outwardly, so thatsaid dished portion is offset outwardly beyond the plane of the body ofthe sheet. By this construction 7 a chamber or recess 22 is formed toreceivethe headed or riveted inner end 23 of the bolt. This headed orriveted end of the bolt is thus caused to lie outside of the fire lineand is thus protective to a great degree from the'directheat of thefire, preventing cracking or distortion of the parts due to intenseheat. The dished portion also strengthens the sheet 1 at the point wherethe opening 20'is formed, making'it of maximum strength where it isusually weakest. The head 23 in this construction lies outwardly beyondthe plane of the body of the sh'eet'and is thus well offset from thefire line, but the structure shown in Fig. 1, in which the headed endlOof the bolt also lies within thezplane of the portion of the sheet inwhich the opening 4 is formed, and is thus offset from the fire line,has also been found highly efficient as a means for protecting such endof the bolt from the intense heat of the flames.

It will be seen from the structures described that my invention providesnot only for the strengthening of both sheets, but also for theconnection of the bolt with the inside sheet in a novel manner, and forthe production upon both sheets of seat flanges which increase to a highdegree the security of connection. It will, of course, be understoodthat the bolt is inserted from the outside, threaded and headed at theinside in the usual manner, and that in case of possible leakage orfracture of the bolt, repairs may be readily and conveniently made.

A special feature. of the'invention is the sleeveless feature, doingaway with the spud or socket. l/Vhen boltis appliedand riveted over oninner sheet, cap can be applied and drawn to seat, making a' perfectlysteam tight jointwithout a coppergasket and eliminating the danger ofscrewing the socket portion as applied on'the style bolts now in usefurther in the sheet, thereby lessening the tension of bolt on outsidesheet and changing the distribution of strain on the bolts. When thisbolt is applied and once set the distribution of strain is perfect andtightening the cap after bolt is set will not alter strain on sheet,thereby making a perfectly adjusted flexible bolt which can be appliedto crown sheet side sheet either on a straight or circular surface. Thebolt can be applied with inner sheet on a straight line without thedepressed surface and is applicable to any design of firebox.

I claim 1. In a flexible bolt connection, a sheet having a bolt opening,a tubular seat flange punched out from the sheet in alinement with thebolt opening, a bolt extending through the opening and having a headedend engaging said seat flange, and a cap engaging and closing the outerend of said tubular seat flange.

2. In a flexible stay bolt connection, a sheet having an inwardlyflaring bolt opening, a tubular seat flange punched out from the sheetin alinement with the bolt opening and having a flared inner end forminga continuation of the flare of the opening and a concaved surface at itsouter end, a bolt extending through the opening, said bolt having aheaded end with a convex surface engaging the concaved surface of theseat flange, and a cap engaging and closing the outer end of saidtubular seat flange.

3. In a flexible stay bolt, a fire sheet having a circular portionoffset from the plane thereof and formed with a threaded opening, and abolt having a threaded end engaging said threaded opening and a terminalhead seated and inclosed below the surface of the sheet in the recess onthe fire side formed by said offset portion.

4. In a flexible stay bolt, a sheet having a tubular flange offsetoutwardly therefrom, a circular reinforcing corrugation surrounding theflange, and a bolt having a threaded and headed end seated within theflange below the surface of the sheet.

5. In a flexible stay bolt, a sheet having an outwardly punched tubularflange internally threaded at its outer end and flared at its inner end,a circular reinforcing corrugation surrounding said flange, and a bolthaving a threaded end engaging the threaded portion of the flange and atapered head fitted within the flared portion of said flange.

6. In a flexible stay bolt, a sheet having a tubular seat flange punchedoutward therefrom, and a bolt having a headed end pivotally seated insaid flange below the surface of the sheet.

7. In a flexible stay bolt, a sheet having a flange punched outwardlytherefrom, said flange having a concavity at its outer end and beingflared at its inner end, and integral at its said inner end on curvedlines with the body of the sheet, and a bolt having a headed endprovided with a convex portion engaging said concavity.

8. In combination, a fire box sheet having an interiorly threaded boltopening formed in a struck up flanged portion thereof with a corrugationin the sheet about the opening, an outside sheet with an unthreadedflared opening therein, and a stay bolt having threaded connection atone end with the bolt opening in the fire box sheet and its opposite endflaring and engaging the flaring wall of the opening in the outsidesheet.

9. In combination, a fire box sheet having an interiorly threaded boltopening formed in a struck up flanged portion thereof with a corrugationin the sheet about the opening, an outside sheet having a flaring boltopening, the wall of which is struck up forming a flange, a stay bolthaving threaded connection with the opening in the fire box sheet andits opposite ends flaring and engaging the flaring wall in the boltopening in the outside sheet, and a cap fitted over the flange about thebolt opening in the outside sheet.

10. In combination, a fire box sheet having interiorly threaded boltopening formed in a struck up flanged portion thereof with corrugationin thesheet about the opening, an outside sheet having a bolt opening,the wall of which is struck up to form a flange, and a stay bolt havingthreaded connection with the opening in the fire box sheet and a headadjacent to an unthreaded portion of the bolt and engaging an opening inthe fire box sheet, the opposite end of the bolt flaring and engaging aflaring wall in the opening in the outside sheet and having a recess inits end.

11. In combination, a fire box sheet having an interiorly threaded boltopening formed in a struck up flanged portion thereof with a corrugationin the sheet about the opening, an outside sheet having a bolt opening,the wall of which is struck up forming a flange, a stay bolt havingthreaded connection at one end with the opening in the fire box sheet,the end of the bolt adjacent to the threaded part flaring and having aconcaved circumference and engaging the convexed wall of the corrugationabout the bolt opening in the fire box sheet, the other end of the boltflaring and engaging a flaring wall in the opening in the outside sheet.

12. In combination, a fire box sheet having an interiorly threaded boltopening formed in a struck up flanged portion there of with acorrugation in the sheet about the opening, an outside sheet having abolt opening, the Wall of which is struck up forming a flange, a staybolt having threaded connection at one end with the opening in the firebox sheet, the end of the bolt adjacent to the threaded part flaring andhaving a concaved circumference and engaging the convexed Wall of thecorrugation about the bolt opening in-the fire box sheet, the other endof the bolt flaring and engaging a flaring Wall in the opening in theoutside sheet, and a cap fitted over the outer threaded circum-1,1:31,eoo

ference of the flange about the opening .in the outside sheet. 1

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

' PETER F. GALLAGHER. Witnesses: V

C. O. HINEs, BENNETT S. JONES.

coplel of thll patent may be obtained for five cents each, by Addressingthe "Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0.

